DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SELECTS THE BOEING COMPANY AND LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION TO DEVELOP JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER DEMONSTRATOR AIRCRAFT
Secretary of Defense William J. Perry announced selection of The Boeing Company, Seattle, Wash., and Lockheed
Martin Corporation, Bethesda, Md., to build the Joint Strike
Fighter aircraft that will demonstrate the capability to meet the
needs of the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Royal Navy.
The JSF will fulfill stated service needs. For the U.S.
Navy, JSF provides the first-day-of-war, survivable strike
fighter aircraft to complement F/A-18E/F aircraft; for the Air
Force, JSF provides a multi-role aircraft (primary-air-to-ground)
to replace the F-16 and A-10 and to complement the F-22; for the
Marine Corps, JSF provides short takeoff and vertical landing
(STOVL) aircraft to replace the AV-8B and F/A-18A/C/D; and for
the Royal Navy, the JSF provides STOVL aircraft to replace the
Sea Harrier.
These concept demonstration efforts are budgeted at $2.2
billion, including propulsion efforts funded under a separate
contract. These contracts were awarded today.
This phase will feature flying aircraft demonstrators,
ground and flight demonstrations, and continued refinement of
each contractor's concept for the next generation strike fighter.
The most visible element for the overall concept demonstration
will be the flight demonstrators representing the contractors'
preferred weapon system concept (PWSC) family of aircraft. Each
contractor will build two flying concept demonstrator aircraft
(CDA) to demonstrate key critical features of each contractor's
concept.
During flight test programs at the Air Force Flight
Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and the Naval Air
Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., the
following features will be demonstrated:
- Common/modularity for an affordable family of multi-service variants
- Short takeoff, vertical land, hover and transition
- Low-speed carrier approach flying and handling qualities
Also during execution of the contracts, The Boeing Company
and Lockheed Martin Corporation will implement those innovative
management and business practices that will focus on achieving
affordable unit flyaway costs and reduced life-cycle cost for
future production of JSF aircraft.
The source selection culminates a highly successful joint
Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Royal Navy process that
exhaustively evaluated proposals from all offerors. The entire
process was conducted electronically, including issuance of the
Request for Proposal and a thorough evaluation of each offeror's
proposal. A continuing JSF program goal has been to apply
information technologies to facilitate communications, eliminate
paper, improve efficiency, and, most importantly, improve
affordability in the management and execution of the program.
Milestone II for engineering and manufacturing and
development (E&MD) is planned in FY 2001. First delivery of
operational aircraft is anticipated in FY 2008.
The JSF program is managed by the program director, Rear
Adm. Craig E. Steidle. Additional information in the Joint Strike
Fighter program can be obtained electronically at
http://www.jsf.mil.
